Oh Brother

When J was a little girl, her mom was fond of reminding her that she had only one sister in the whole of the world and that was good reason to be good to her. J got so used to this saying that she'd often finish her mom's sentence midway, more often than not with the yeah, yeah, enough already tone of the adolescent know-it-all. Then J grew up and had two sons. Two brothers. Now she understands. 

Once upon a time E was an only child. Up until two months ago E was an only child. E spent nearly four years of his life as an only child. Is it any wonder he had trouble getting used to the new role of brother?

Admittedly, this little brother is hard not to love. He makes cute little bubbles and cute little farts and stretches his cute little fists over his head like a cute little superhero. He is a bundle of cute. Perhaps that's why E finds it so hard to resist him. He wants to hold him, kiss him, sing to him, smother him, pinch him, punch him...oh dear. It's all so easy to understand when it's written down in black and white. Only son, sole sparkle in his parents' eyes, is suddenly displaced by bundle of bubbling, farting baby. Sure, he loves the little squirt; but that love doesn't come without its jealousy. Poor little man. Poor little M.

But hey, all siblings go through this, right? J's sister once bit through a winter jacket to leave a painful welt on her big sister's back. J never even saw it coming. For her part, she once nearly scalded her little sis with a pot of piping hot macaroni and cheese. Revenge by Kraft Dinner. Twenty-odd years later they're as tight as can be, each wearing the other's scars with loving pride. These are the wounds that bond. And these two brothers will bond. Already, M is giving his big brother adoring smiles. E is as proud and protective of his baby brother as a sabretooth tiger. He calls him The My. M calls him bubbles.

The bottom line is that it's good to have a brother. It's good to be a brother. It's good to know that someone's got your back, that someone will understand you when it seems no one else in the world can possibly know. It's good to have someone to fight tooth and nail with without risk of losing their love. It's good to know that you can love another even when they drive you up the wall because loving them makes you a better person and being driven up the wall is a part of life. That same brother will be there to help you climb back down. He'll be the one to catch you if you fall.